LOOPS
by PerpetualSnare
Summary: Sgt. Olivia Benson thinks that two of her junior detectives are hiding a romantic relationship. Fin is also suspicious. How will Amaro and Rollins handle the misgivings of the senior officers?
1. Chapter 1

_Note: Beast's Obsession_ never happened.

* * *

Detective Nick Amaro stood up and pulled at the light gray suit jacket that had been hanging on the back of his chair. It was time to head out for the evening.

"I'm not far behind you. I am so done with this day," Amanda sighed when she noticed her colleague's imminent departure. Nick observed the dark circles under Amanda's eyes.

"You want to grab a beer?" Nick asked.

"Nah – I didn't get to walk Frannie this morning – she'll be looking for me."

For a moment Nick studied Amanda's face – her eyes were already focused back on her work, apparently not giving his invitation another thought. Nick briefly thought of asking her a second time, but decided not to. Olivia already thought that he had control issues when it came to women; he didn't want Amanda to start thinking along the same lines.

"Okay – see ya," Nick said.

"Have a good weekend," Amanda called to him without moving her eyes from her computer.

Amanda looked up at the back of Nick's retreating figure after he had turned from her. Why was he being so friendly lately? At that moment, Fin walked out of Olivia's office with a large olive green folder clasped tightly in his right hand. He had a discernible frown on his face.

"Everything okay?" Amanda asked.

"Liv wants me to finish the paperwork on the Genetti case ASAP. I'm probably gonna be here this weekend."

"Ouch!"

Fin didn't sit down. Instead, he dropped the green folder onto his desk and then he twisted his stocky frame towards Amanda. When Fin reached her desk he bent down and spoke in a hushed tone.

"Straight up, just between you and me – is there anything going on between you and Nick?" Amanda's head shot up like a jack in the box. Her soft blue eyes immediately locked with the tired brown eyes of her inquisitor.

"No," Amanda blurted out as fast as she could. Where was this coming from?

"Honest?" Fin questioned again. His eyes narrowed at her.

"Yes! What is this about?" Amanda hissed. She was _not_ pleased that he had broached this subject in the squad room, of _all_ places.

"Liv's said a few things to me - got me wondering. I also asked Nick about you a few weeks back and he seemed a little defensive."

"That's because there's _nothing_ going on," Amanda spit out as quietly as she could. "Liv is so stressed out right now that she can't see the forest through the trees."

"Yea, okay – _sorry_," mumbled Fin, as he backed away from Amanda's desk.

Fin believed Amanda, but he knew that he had rattled her cage. Same as Nick – an honest denial – but _much_ too defensive. Was it possible that both Nick and Amanda were secretly carrying something for each other? After 14 years at SVU, Fin knew all too well how _that_ game worked. He also knew what signs to look for. Amanda watched Fin settle down at his desk. He opened the folder that he had carried out of Olivia's office and took out a few pieces of paper from the top of the stack. Amanda stared at Fin with her mouth slightly ajar. What had just happened? Had Fin actually suggested that she was covering up a relationship with Nick? Amanda wasn't about to let the dust settle on this conversation just yet. She stood up and walked over to the side of Fin's desk.

"You believe me, right?"

"Sure I do. Don't make a song and dance about nothing," Fin stressed, looking up at Amanda with a weary expression on his face, "it was just a question."

Ever since the undercover debacle under Lt. Murphy, Amanda sensed that she still didn't have Fin's complete trust. Was he just giving her lip service or did he truly believe her? Amanda decided that she didn't want to get into it with him. It was a Friday night – she was tired - why start her weekend with a fight? Amanda returned to her desk just long enough to shut off her computer and to grab her jacket.

"Don't work too hard," Amanda offered just before she began to exit the squad room.

Fin acknowledged her words with a nod of his head and then barked, "Yo Amanda - it was just a question – don't overthink it."

Amanda spun around to look at Fin; she painted a faint smile on her face as a means of outwardly accepting his pacification. Then, she continued down the hall towards the elevator. The third degree from Fin had ruffled Amanda's feathers. Why did Olivia think that it was okay to speak with Fin behind her back instead of asking her directly? _When things settle down I'm gonna talk to Liv about this, _Amanda promised herself. _Now_ was certainly _not_ the time.

As Amanda entered the elevator, the thought of a nice cold beer started to appeal to her. She knew that Nick would probably be at the bar by the precinct, but at that moment she wouldn't have cared if Nick Amaro were at her apartment making her a candle-lit dinner. She had absolutely _nothing_ to hide. So what if Fin saw her and Nick sitting together at the bar on his way out of work? The mere idea of having a relationship with Nick Amaro produced a hearty and quite audible chuckle from Amanda's throat. A tall female uniformed officer who was riding the elevator with Amanda stole a quick glance of curiosity at the bemused detective.

"Sorry, just thinking of a joke someone told me," Amanda explained to the junior cop. The tall officer smiled at Amanda and then pretended to be interested in reading the_ no smoking _sign that hung above the circular buttons for floors _one_ and_ two_.

Sure, it might be fun for a week – something fresh – Amanda had certainly thought about what Nick's lips tasted like, just like many women _and _men who worked at the 16th precinct had - but she knew what would inevitably happen - Nick would start checking up on her – asking why she was late - asking who she was with – Amanda knew the drill. She remembered the way that he had been with Maria - the way that he_ still_ was with Maria. Hell, he did most of those things to her now and they weren't_ even_ dating. She couldn't imagine how suffocating it would be to actually date him. Besides, Nick had two young children, which would complicate things. Now, sleeping with Nick would be another matter – but a relationship? – f_ar_ too messy. When Amanda caught herself mentally approving of a physical relationship with Nick Amaro, she stopped in her tracks.

"Dang Amanda – don't _even_ let your head go there," she admonished herself before stepping out onto the first floor of the precinct.

* * *

A/N: I will continue my Barson story - hopefully updating in May.


	2. Chapter 2

When Amanda stepped inside of _Nario's_, she found Nick's slender frame perched on a bar stool. His head was tilted up towards the enormous flat screen television which hung above the bar. The white sleeves of Nick's dress shirt were rolled up beneath his elbows and he had his right hand fastened around a bottle of _Russian River Consecration_, a beer that Olivia's boyfriend had introduced him to. Amanda caught sight of Nick's left hand which was resting on the bar. He wasn't wearing his wedding band. He had occasionally sported it during late January and early February. There had been rumors circulating of a reconciliation between Nick and his ex, Maria, but for all Amanda knew they were only that – _rumors_.

"Nick," Amanda said as she approached the bar. Nick turned around with genuine surprise, smiling when he saw her.

"Changed your mind?"

"Decided that I wasn't ready to go home yet."

"Well, pull up a seat because your Hawks are going down tonight," said Nick. A devilish grin flashed across his handsome face. Amanda had forgotten that the Atlanta Hawks were playing the Knicks that evening. She looked up at the game. The second quarter had just ended; the score was 29-15 with New York leading. It was early in the game – anything could happen. Besides, the Knicks weren't playing that strong this season.

"That's big talk for someone whose team just got trampled yesterday in Orlando," she rebuffed the slap against her Hawks. Amanda could give as good as she got.

"Hey – that was a close game – went into overtime just to settle it."

"Give me a Guinness please," Amanda called to the bartender.

"I've got a feeling about tonight. Your lead Forward is out with a bum knee."

"You want to wa—" Amanda cut herself off before her tongue carved out the word _wager_. She had almost forgotten who she was talking to.

"I want to what?", Nick yelled above the din in the bar without turning his head, completely unaware of the slip that she had almost made.

"You want to wait before doing a victory dance?" Amanda saved herself.

"Yea – we'll see about that – I think the Knicks got this," Nick stood fast for New York even if his confidence was only a show.

Amanda looked at the bar menu after receiving her beer. She was extremely hungry and didn't want to drink on an empty stomach. "If I order the fish and chips combo, will you help me eat it?" The portion sizes at _Nario's_ tended to be ridiculously large. Amanda had once been served a hamburger there that had been close to the size of a baby's head.

"Sure – I've just been munching on bar peanuts," Nick said.

By the time the food arrived, the third quarter was already half over. Both teams had been making steady gains, but Atlanta was still trailing New York by eight points. Nick loved watching Amanda fume every time New York matched the gains that the Hawks had made. She seemed to be the only person in _Nario's _who was rooting for Atlanta that night.

"Finally, I'm starving!" Amanda said and then reached for a handful of fries. She and Nick took turns dipping their hands into the plate, being conscious at all times of where the other person's hand was. Nick refrained from saying anything when Amanda licked the excess grease and salt off of her fingers. He preferred to wipe his own fingers on a bar napkin. With five seconds left on the clock, Williams made a 25-foot three point shot for Atlanta. Amanda pounded her fist on the table in satisfaction.

"Damn, that was beautiful."

"Slow your roll - your team is _still_ losing," Nick lectured her. He really wasn't annoyed; he just liked trash talking with her. Maria would have tolerated watching this game with him, but Amanda actually seemed to _like_ it, maybe even _more_ than he did.

"Not for long Detective Amaro – not for long," Amanda said playfully. When the plate was empty, both Nick and Amanda ordered another round of beers.

During the first five seconds of the fourth quarter, Atlanta scored another three points. If the Hawks got another lucky shot, New York could kiss its lead goodbye. Nick and Amanda's eyes were glued to the screen, watching the dance on the court with baited breath. No more than a minute later Louis Williams scored another three point shot. The tide had turned in Amanda's favor; she almost leaped out of her seat with excitement.

"You can start crying now," Amanda teased Nick with an air of false scorn. A chorus of boos and expletives from other bar patrons momentarily filled the space. Nick shook his head in defeat. The two detectives had been sitting for so long that Amanda's backside was starting to hurt. She stood up and stretched her arms above her head, leaning her torso over to the left and then to the right until her muscles felt good and loose.

"Not the right game for a 7th inning stretch," Amaro quipped. Amanda rolled her eyes. Sometimes, Nick just wasn't funny.

I'll be right back," Amanda said and then headed toward the ladies room.

As soon as Amanda walked away, Nick let out a deep sigh. He and Amanda had never hung out before. They had never just passed time together off of the clock. The dinner parties at Liv's didn't count. Those parties were painful social occasions with unspoken mandatory attendance, where he and his colleagues pasted smiles on their faces and pretended to be having a good time. This was _different _– but he was guarding himself – he could feel it – every _word_ and every _movement_ was passing through a filter so that nothing could possibly be misconstrued. That's the way things go when you hang with a co-worker. Never do something on Friday that will come back to bite you on Monday.

A few minutes later, Nick felt a small palm curl around his left shoulder. His head quickly swiveled around to see Amanda standing behind him, staring up at the television. Atlanta had just scored again. The tips of Amanda fingers hung down freely over his shoulder, lightly grazing his collar bone.

"Oh – hey," Nick said casually, not wanting to startle her. When Jeff Teague made both of his free throw shots, more groans of dismay sounded in the room.

"You crying yet?" Amanda goaded him. The weight of her hand upon Nick's shoulder became a little heavier as she leaned more of her upper body onto him.

"Getting there," Nick responded. Even he had to admit that the Knicks were stinking up Philips Arena pretty bad.

Nick was trying to play it cool. He didn't want Amanda to feel self-conscious or embarrassed – _moreover _– he didn't want her to_ take_ her hand _away._ If she wanted to use him as a lamppost for her fading flame, he was happy to let her. Eventually Amanda did take her hand away to reach for her beer.

No matter what the Knicks did from that point on, they couldn't seem to surpass Atlanta. At the 7 minute mark, the score was 88-81; a victory for New York seemed unlikely and some of their fans had already given up hope for the night. After all was said and done, the Hawks won, 107-98. When the final score flashed across the screen, the Amazon River of smiles spread across Amanda's face.

"This is bullshit," a high pitched male voice a few feet away from them snarled.

"What a great way to end the night; I can't wait to give it to Fin on Monday," Amanda remarked smugly. In the back of her mind, she was wishing that she had placed a bet or two on the game, but she managed to push those thoughts out of her head for the time being. Amanda hopped off of the bar stool and put her jacket on.

"Goodnight."

"Night," Nick responded softly.

Nick felt like calling to her, but his throat had suddenly become dry. There was a tightness in his chest that he couldn't explain. It felt like the oxygen was being sucked out of the room with every step that Amanda took away from him. If Amanda had been anyone else, he would have asked her to stay.

"Get home safely," Nick finally called out after her. Amanda usually mocked any concern that he displayed for her, but tonight she surprised him. She turned around with a smile on her face that lit the room on fire – the kind of smile that Nick hadn't seen on her face in a very _long_ time.

"I will," Amanda yelled back and then continued out the door. Now that Nick was alone, the memory of Fin's question began to play in his head.

_Why you so interested? You got something going for Rollins? _


	3. Chapter 3

Upon leaving Nario's, Nick stopped into a nearby bodega and bought a carton of orange juice, a bottle of mouthwash, and a single can of beer. He couldn't shake Fin's voice out of his head; it just kept rolling around between his ears, taunting him like an ice cream truck passing by on a torrid summer day.

"That will be $10.67," the clerk said after she had placed the three items in a small black plastic bag, but all that Nick heard was…

_You got something going for Rollins?_

* * *

The drive home was relatively uneventful. Nick pulled up in front of his house and turned off the engine. He sat in the driver's seat surveying the neighborhood through the windows of his car, looking around for anyone and anything that looked suspicious. Four months had passed since the aftermath of the accidental shooting of young Yusef Barre by his now penitent hands, but there were days when Nick still feared for his safety. The dreadful night when bullets had blasted through his living room window and nearly hit him, his mother, Zara, and Olivia was ever present in his mind. Nick's house had also been egged on two different occasions over the last several months.

When Nick was finally satisfied that nothing was amiss, he got out of the car and went into the house, making sure to lock both the spring and dead bolts behind him. Nick took the orange juice and beer out of the plastic bag and placed them in the fridge. He carried the mouthwash upstairs to the bathroom and then changed into a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt. Once back downstairs he grabbed the beer out of the fridge and flicked the metal tab open. Nick stood in a daze staring into space as the first gulp of beer slid down his throat. A recent picture of Zara was affixed to the fridge by an NYPD magnet; the picture caught his attention. Nick wondered what his sweet girl was doing at the moment. If Maria was on her game, Zara should have been asleep for three hours already.

Nick missed Maria sometimes but most days the mere thought of talking to his ex-wife threatened to give him an ulcer. Either way the house was now a lonely place to be. Nick wanted to move, _especially_ after the Barre shooting. The last two times that Zara had stayed at the house, she had asked to sleep in the master bedroom with her father and by no means would she let Nick turn off the lights. But it wasn't only for Zara's sake that Nick wanted to move. The house just had too many unpleasant memories attached to it.

_You got something going for Rollins?_

There it was again. Nick took another sip of beer and decided to do something that he rarely did when at home; he turned on his desktop PC. Outside of the job, he didn't like chatting – he didn't like e-mail – he used the computer enough at work and didn't see the need to use it at home. Nick really enjoyed his technology free time. Once the computer had booted up, Nick pulled up the internet and found his way to Facebook. Nick had a Facebook account, but it was really for work purposes only. In fact, Amanda had been the one who had made him set up the account.

"It's great for checking up on _persons of interest _involved in our cases - this is 2013 – get with the times," Amanda had told him.

Amanda had taught Nick that he had to keep up with technology and social media if he was going to work sex crimes successfully. She was also good at troubleshooting; if he had a computer problem at work, Amanda was usually his _go to _girl.

Nick's own profile was very simple. He had put up just enough information to give people a taste of who he was, without giving them a four course meal. He had peppered his profile with a few selfies and some basic biographical information. He had listed where he worked and where he had gone to school, but there was absolutely NO way that he was going to post any pictures of Zara online because there were just _too_ many creeps out there. His _friends list_ was scant, a few colleagues and some old school friends – a sum total of 37 people. If Maria had a profile, he hadn't been able to find it and _believe you me_, he had looked for one during the bitterest time in their divorce. Maria wouldn't be stupid enough to have an account under her own name anyways because she knew how Nick operated.

Nick found himself pulling up Amanda's profile. Her privacy settings restricted what content he could see, but he thought he would dig around anyways. Most of her photos were of her dog. There _was_ one image of Amanda and her screwed up sister, Kim, standing in front of a brightly lit Christmas tree - the photo was dated 2008. He thought that Amanda looked gorgeous in the green silk dress that she was wearing in the photo. It was a strapless number that hugged her petite frame in all of the right places. It appeared that better days had been shining on Kim when the picture had been taken. Six years of alcohol and drug use had certainly taken their toll on Kim's once youthful face.

Nick clicked through a few more generic selfies of Amanda - _she really is quite photogenic, _he thought - then Nick found a picture of Amanda in uniform. She was holding a bouquet of roses and she looked extremely young in the photo,_ even_ younger than in the one of her and Kim. _Maybe it was her graduation from the Academy_, Nick thought. Nick wondered what Amanda's time as a beat cop had been like. What thug would take this pretty young woman seriously? She looked _so_ green. Nick imagined that there must have been some difficult times during Amanda's early days as a uniformed officer.

There were no pictures of Amanda with a man, _let alone_ a man who looked like possible boyfriend material. This was probably an account that Amanda used only for work. If there were photos that revealed more about Amanda's private life, she would have posted them under a different account – an account with a _pseudonym_ attached.

Why the fuck did he care? What was Nick doing spying on Amanda anyways? What was he expecting to find? Nick quickly logged off of his account and shut his computer off. He went to throw the beer in the recycling when his phone rang. It was Fin. Fin usually didn't call to just "chat", so Nick answered the phone.

"Yo – what's up?" Nick said as soon as he placed his phone to his ear.

Fin's tired voice answered back, "We got an attempted rape in Alphabet City – want to meet me there?"

Nick felt a bit fizzled and didn't think that going on a call would be a good idea. "I've had a few beers - I'm really not good to go," he said honestly.

"Yeah - okay - I didn't want to disturb Liv, but I'll give her a ring," Fin replied. He seemed to understand.

"Yea – sorry."

"It's all good - hey, did you catch the Knicks-Hawks game tonight?" asked Fin as an afterthought.

Nick's pulse quickened slightly and his throat became dry.

"Yeah I did – watched most of it at Nario's," Nick said distractedly, trying to read into Fin's question.

"We probably gonna be out for the season if this keeps up!" Fin complained.

It seemed that Fin had no hidden Amanda related agenda. After losing in Atlanta, the Knicks were most likely not going to have a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. That's all that Fin was after- at least - Nick _hoped _that that was all Fin was talking about.

"I know man – sucks, doesn't it?" Nick said in commiseration.

"Yeah - okay, I'll call you tomorrow if we need anything - I know this was supposed to be your weekend off," Fin added.

"'Night Fin"

"Night."

Nick slid his phone into the back pocket of his jeans and then headed upstairs to get ready for bed. After brushing his teeth, Nick picked up the bottle of emerald colored mouthwash that he had purchased at the bodega only to realize that it was a similar shade of green to the dress that Amanda had on in the backdated Christmas photo. Nick twisted off the cap and poured some of the mouthwash into it. As the medicinal minty liquid swished around his mouth, he suddenly had a vision of Amanda sitting on the edge of his bed wearing the strapless green dress, her blond hair loose and falling around her shoulders. She was just sitting there, smiling and waiting for him.

_Dammit, _Nick thought when he became aware of where his imagination was going, _stop it – just stop it, _he scolded himself.

Nick spit out the mouthwash and then turned off the bathroom light. He walked into the bedroom, placing his wrist watch on the nightstand. When Nick pulled back the bedspread he sighed at the emptiness that lay before him.


	4. Chapter 4

Fin considered dialing Olivia, but when he had told Nick that he didn't want to disturb her, he had meant it. Fin had known Olivia Benson for 14 years; he knew her to be a strong and dedicated officer who was _almost _as fearless as the necklace that she wore claimed her to be, but after her abduction Fin sometimes saw his friend as an over-burdened woman who carried more than her fair share on her shoulders. Fin loved Olivia like a sister and just wanted her to be at peace. Sometimes, Fin even thought that Olivia should take early retirement. Even though he knew Amanda was probably still pissed at him, he decided to phone her instead. The phone rang a little longer than usual, but finally Amanda picked up. Her bleary voice raggedly managed a faint _hello._

"It's Fin - catch you at a bad time?"

"No, no – Fin, I was just passed out on the couch sleeping." Fin listened for environmental sounds that might catch Amanda in a lie, but he heard no hushed voices or music in the distance from her end of the line. He believed her when she said she was at home.

"Sorry to wake you up girl, but you're on call this weekend – we got an attempted rape near Tompkins Square Park. The call came in about 10 minutes ago, so the responding officers are just waiting with the Vic at the liquor store that she made the report from.

"How old is she?" Amanda asked, seeking information that would help her make a plan of action. Her brain was slowly starting to wake up.

"26"

"Not a minor – able to sign papers and speak for herself – I can leave in the next five minutes, but it will still take me 20 minutes or more to get there - why don't you have the unis escort her to a nearby hospital - I will meet you there – text me the address of the hospital they end up taking her too – I'll get there as soon as I can."

"Yes ma 'mm – over and out,' Fin responded before ending the call. He thought this was a good course of action. He didn't want Grace Katz to wait any longer at the liquor store than she had to. She needed to go to a hospital to be checked out as soon as possible.

* * *

Amanda sat up on the couch and tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. After returning from Nario's she had fallen asleep while watching a documentary about a dog whisperer who lived in South Dakota; she loved watching programs about animals and nature. Amanda wobbled to her feet and then shuffled to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face and neck. As the cool water gave succor to her sleep blighted face, she found herself wondering what Nick had done after leaving the bar. She knew that it was his weekend off, so maybe he was heading down to DC to spend time with his daughter. _It was kind of fun hanging out with Nick tonight_, Amanda thought to herself, _too bad that he can be such an ass sometimes._

* * *

When Amanda arrived at _New York Presbyterian_, Fin was waiting for her in the ER. He noticed that she was wearing the same black khakis and orange blouse that she had had on at work. Her hair was also pulled back in the same tight ponytail that she had sported at the office. Fin thought it was unlikely that she had been out gambling dressed in her work clothes. "No crazy Friday night lined up?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

Amanda didn't like his tone. She was trying her best to stay clean and felt that her partner should trust her. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It was just a question."

"If you say that one more time..." Amanda began to say. Recently, Fin had asked one to many _just a question _questions that she didn't like the implications of. Amanda decided to steer the conversation toward the reason why they were both there.

"What do we have?"

"26 year old Grace Katz – met a guy at a speed dating club – she got in a car with him after the event and he got a little too friendly."

"Is there any family here for her?"

"We called her mom, but she's coming from Ohio and won't be here until tomorrow morning."

"Got it – let's go."

Fin and Amanda entered room 3B, the room that the nurse had directed them towards. They found a young attractive woman with shoulder length chestnut hair sitting on the edge of a hospital bed. She wore a knee length navy blue skirt and a long sleeved v-necked ivory blouse that had tiny cherries on it. Her lightly freckled cheeks were streaked with dried tears.

"Hi Ms. Katz, I'm Detective Rollins and this is my partner Detective Tutuola. We work for Manhattan Special Victims."

"Hello." Grace's voice was soft and unsure as she tried to get a sense of what was happening around her.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions if that is okay?" Amanda continued before sitting down on an old leather chair close to where Grace was sitting. Fin kept a bit of a distance; he decided to position himself between Amanda and the door.

Grace nodded her head slowly up and down and then responded with a quiet, "Yes."

Amanda took this opportunity to start the interview. "You told Officers Lopez and James that a man tried to rape you tonight?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell us what happened? How did you meet this guy?"

"I've lived in New York for almost two years, but had a hard time dating. My mom started pressuring me to start making babies – so I panicked a little – started trying dating sites and other gimmicky things just to meet guys."

"What was the name of the dating club you were at?" Fin asked.

"_Merry-Go-Round_."

"Was this your first time using their services?" Amanda asked.

"Yes – I signed up for tonight's session on a whim...just to try something new – you meet 10 prospective matches – get 5 minutes to talk to each of them – after the hour is over, you rate the people you've met on a five point scale of interest. Then, you turn that interest card into the club management. If two people rate each other highly, the club gives you the contact info of the person or people who you were interested in."

"Was there someone who caught your interest tonight?" Amanda asked as she leaned closer to Grace, trying to inspire some female-to-female confidence.

"Yea – there was one guy – his name was Samuel."

Amanda looked at Fin with raised eyebrows; he knew what she was thinking. "Did you get his last name?" Fin asked.

"No." Grace said in _embarrassment._

"What did he look like?" Amanda asked, not wanting to linger too long on the fact that they didn't have Samuel's last name.

"Tall...thin...dark brown hair...brown eyes...he wore a black suit and a purple silk tie with black diamonds on it." Amanda waited while Fin jotted down the information that Grace had just given them. She looked at Grace to make sure that the young woman was comfortable with them and that she was talking freely of her own volition. Amanda also looked for signs of deception, but couldn't find any coming from Grace that she was aware of.

"What happened next?" Fin prompted.

"So, I wasn't really interested in the other guys, but Samuel seemed nice. He was Jewish...loved cooking...liked cats...he seemed great...somebody my mom would like. I thought the club would e-mail me with his contact information after I got home, but . . ." Grace faltered as she summoned her thoughts and her courage.

"But something else happened?" Amanda asked.

"Samuel approached me outside the club after the event. He told me that he really liked me and that he had told the club he was interested. He thought that we should just cut out the middle man. We must have talked outside for 15 minutes...he was nice...easy going...I felt _safe_ with him. . ." She lost her voice again.

"Then what happened?"

"He suggested that we go to another club that he knew of — to dance."

"Do you remember the name of the club?" Fin asked.

"_The Black Thorn_ — I'm pretty sure that is what he said — he said it would only take 10 minutes to get there by car," Grace responded.

Both Amanda and Fin knew the New York Club scene fairly well, but neither of them remembered a place called _The Black Thorn. _Fin thought Samuel might have made the place up, but he kept his suspicions to himself. "Did you go to the club?" Fin asked.

"No. We went to a parking garage, maybe a two minute-walk from the speed dating place."

"You got in his car?"

"Yes, I feel so stupid now – how could I let this happen?" Grace was frustrated and angry with herself. A few tears escaped from the corners of her eyes.

"Grace, this is _not_ your fault – okay? – this could have happened to _anyone_," Amanda whispered. Grace nodded, trying to believe the pretty blond detective. Grace reached for a cup of water that was on the bedside table. She took a few sips, trying to collect herself.

"What happened when you got in the car?" Fin asked. The hour was late and he wanted to keep the momentum in the interview rolling.

"He just leaned over and started kissing me...really hard...I tried to push him off, but he was a lot stronger than me...I remember him. . ." A tear fell from Grace's cheek silently onto her blouse.

"It's okay – take your time," Amanda cautioned her.

"I remember him putting his hand down my blouse and him touching my breasts."

Amanda could see that Grace was becoming upset, but she wanted to keep Grace focused and asked "Did he say anything?"

"He told me, 'don't be a prude.'"

"What happened next?" Fin asked.

"Then he put his hand up my skirt and started to take off my. . ." Again Grace's voice trailed off.

"Your underwear?" Amanda finished Grace's sentence. Grace nodded her head _yes, _so Amanda added, "But he didn't?"

"No – I fought and struggled – somehow I threw him off me and got out of the car – I ran as fast as I could to a nearby liquor store – and that is when I called the police."

"Did Samuel get out of the car? Do you remember if he tried to run after you?" Fin questioned.

"I don't think that he did. I just know his car was gone when the police went back to the parking garage."

Fin jotted this down and asked "Do you remember anything about the car? The color? The make?"

"Yes – very clearly – it was a black Mercedes. He made sure to tell me that it was a Mercedes when we first walked into the parking garage. It was like he was showing off or something."

"An expensive car; did he tell you what he did for a living?" asked Fin.

"He said that he was an accountant for a large shipping company – he didn't tell me the name of the company."

_Wonderful, _Amanda thought. _We don't have a last name. We don't know where this Samuel works – The Black Thorn probably doesn't exist – let's just hope Samuel isn't an alias AND that the parking garage had a security camera installed._

"Is there anything else about Samuel or his car that you can remember? Any distinguishing marks on his face or body?" Amanda asked.

"Yea – he had a dimpled chin - a very noticeable one - I am sure of that."

Fin closed his note pad. "Alright, Ms. Katz - thank you for talking with us. If the doctor thinks you can go, we'd like to get you to the station and have you sit with a sketch artist. Do you think you would be up for that?"

"Yes – I think so," Grace said softly.

Fin put the notepad in his coat pocket and then looked at Amanda to see if she had anything else to add. Amanda just nodded her head in agreement. Fin nodded back and then turned to Grace and said, "Detective Rollins will stay with you while I go talk with your doctors." Fin left the room, leaving Amanda alone with Grace.


	5. Chapter 5

Olivia stood in the middle of the squad room, staring at the sketch that had been completed with the help of Grace Katz. _He kind of looks like the guy who took me to my Junior prom, except with less acne_, she thought. Olivia shook her head at the distant memory of her high school years and then turned around to look at her team.

Fin spoke up, "There isn't a dance club in New York State called _The Black Thorn_, let alone in Manhattan. It was total bullshit."

"Widen your search to other states – sometimes people use names and places that they know from elsewhere when lying on the spot. This guy might not be from New York." This came from Rollins who stood leaning against her desk.

"Good thought," Olivia said.

"We should also look at old cases where an assault or rape took place in or near a dating club – to see if maybe this guy has done this before," Nick suggested.

"I don't know – our perp seems pretty inexperienced. I mean he takes her to a public parking garage where she can easily escape. This dude probably hasn't done this before," Fin countered.

"I agree," said Olivia. It's an amateur move, but check out other cases anyways, just in case." She didn't want Nick to think that his ideas weren't valued.

"For now, our priority is to visit the speed dating club and talk to the management. See if they had a security camera going on Friday night, whether inside or outside the club. Hopefully they can give us credit card and address info that will tell us who this guy is. Fin and Nick, head out to the club after we're done here."

"You got it," Fin said.

"We need to check the DMV for a Black Mercedes registered to men names Samuel," Nick stated the obvious.

"Getting his last name from _Merry-Go-Round_ will help with that. Visit the club first – check the DMV database when you get back," Olivia replied, and then turned to Amanda. "Rollins, go to the parking garage where Grace was assaulted and see if you can get a license plate number for the Mercedes – that will also help you narrow down the DMV search criteria."

Amanda concurred. "Yea – the search will go faster if we have both a license plate and a last name."

Olivia nodded and while still looking at Amanda asked, "How is Grace holding up?"

Fin answered. "Amanda and I checked in on her this morning. She's still shaken, but she seemed okay."

"And her mom is going to be staying with her for a couple weeks," Amanda added.

"Good. Alright, let's meet back here at 4pm and see what we've got," Olivia said as she closed the Katz file and positioned it in the crook of her arm. She picked up her mug of coffee and walked into her office.

Fin looked at Nick and asked, "You ready to roll?"

"Yea, let me hit the bathroom first. I'll meet you by the elevator." Nick walked off while Fin turned to Amanda.

"The parking garage is close to the club. Do you want to ride with us? Save some gas?" Fin asked.

"No, I've got a little bit of paperwork on the Maddox case to finish. You guys go ahead."

"Suit yourself." Fin shrugged and headed towards the elevator to wait for Nick. In truth, Amanda had finished the Maddox paperwork on Friday, before she had left for Nario's. She just didn't want to ride with Fin and Amaro. During the run-down of the Katz case, she had felt that Nick's eyes were frequently drawn to her, even during the times when Olivia and Fin had the floor. It seemed like Nick was distracted and not completely tuned into what Olivia was saying. _Maybe I shouldn't have stopped by Nario's on Friday_, Amanda reflected. Regardless of the fact that she enjoyed the time that they had spent at the bar, Fin's comment coupled with Nick's sudden attention made her think that it might be wise to put a little distance between her and Nick.

Amanda turned her head towards Olivia's office. Olivia was sitting at her desk pouring over the particulars of Grace Katz's file. A lock of her chin length brown hair fell over her dark eyes; she swiftly tucked it behind her ear with her left index finger and then continued reading the file. Maybe this wasn't the best time, but Amanda didn't want to put it off. Olivia's door was open – why not take the opportunity? Amanda took a deep breath and walked over to Olivia's office. "Sergeant, can I talk to you for a moment?" Amanda asked, before putting her left hand in her back pocket and leaning against the door frame.

Olivia looked up from her work and smiled when she saw Amanda. "Sure," Olivia replied. Her smile faded when Amanda closed the door behind her.

"What's up?' Olivia asked cautiously. She noticed that Amanda was biting her lip, a habit which Olivia had begun to associate with anxiety in the younger officer.

Amanda didn't want to beat around the bush. "This is an awkward thing to ask, but have you said anything to Fin about me and Amaro?"

Olivia was taken by surprise at Amanda's question. This wasn't the line of conversation that she had been expecting. She put her pen down and tried to think of what Amanda might be referring to. Then, she remembered the offhand comment which she had made to Fin back in March. To Olivia it had been an innocent statement made to a trusted friend.

"I think I said something to him as a joke a few weeks ago – that night you went to Niagra Falls," Olivia admitted. When she saw Amanda's face fall she said, "Is there a problem?"

"Well, Fin didn't take it as a joke. He asked me if Nick and I were hiding a relationship."

"He did!?" Olivia was flabbergasted that Fin would confront Amanda over such an insignificant remark.

"Yes."

Olivia watched Amanda's face and her body language, looking for anything that might help her read the subtext for this discussion. She could see that Amanda was on edge but whether she was hiding something, Olivia couldn't tell.

"I'm sorry if anything I said put ideas into Fin's head. But, I know Fin to be an intuitive cop. Do you think he had any reason to be suspicious?"

"No, I don't," Amanda replied with a bit of annoyance. She and Nick weren't even screwing, let alone spending romantic weekends in the Hamptons – there _was_ no cover up. What didn't Olivia and Fin get?

"Okay then – if you are not hiding anything – don't worry about it."

"As another female officer – just – don't say anything, okay? – even to Fin. I'm really trying to get back on track. You know how difficult it is to be a woman in the NYPD – I don't want history to repeat itself."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Olivia asked. Her interest had been piqued.

"Some rumors went around about me in Atlanta – they are part of the reason that I came up here."

"Anything you want to talk about?" Olivia prodded for just a little more.

"No," Amanda responded, looking away from Olivia. What had happened in Atlanta was clearly not something that Amanda wanted to elaborate on. Even though Olivia had read Amanda's jacket when she had taken command of the unit, there were some things about Amanda's time in the APD that weren't in that file. Olivia was sorry that she had caused tension between Fin and Amanda. At the same time Olivia wasn't entirely sure that Amanda was leveling with her.

"Okay. I won't speak out of turn about your personal life again," Olivia said, waiting for Amanda to return her gaze. When Amanda finally looked up at her Olivia smiled and said, "I promise."

"Thanks," Amanda said briskly, but after a few moments she said it again, this time with more gratitude. "Thanks." Amanda turned to leave when Olivia's voice caught her ear.

"Detective Rollins, as your _Senior_ officer – I can't help but ask, _is_ there?"

Amanda pivoted on a dime and stared at Olivia with wide eyes. "Is there_ what_?"

"Is there something I should know about?"

"No - what are you impl—"

Olivia spoke over Amanda to silence her. She spoke softly without accusation. "Because if there is, I can try to make it work for you. You and Amaro are in a non-reporting situation. I can switch schedules up - make it less of a conflict of interest."

Amanda immediately put her hands up in front of her as a means of deflecting Olivia's insinuation. Words came next. "Woah - Olivia, none of that will be necessary because _nothing_ is going on." Amanda was starting to sound like a broken record to herself. Olivia stared at Amanda, stone-faced.

"You don't seriously think that Amaro and I are—?" Amanda continued but Olivia interrupted the younger woman again.

"No, but I had to ask - for your career, and for _mine _as well. When shit hits the fan, IAB looks into _everything. Y_ou know that just as well as I do."

Amanda stood there, trying to digest what had just happened. Her head was spinning and she really didn't want to continue the conversation. "Are we done?" she asked.

"You tell me – you're the one who came into my office," Olivia said. Olivia had given her a brass ring that she could reach for, but Amanda didn't want to jump for it.

"We're done," replied Amanda curtly. As she turned to leave Olivia spoke again.

"By the way. Next time you knock on that door, your friend Lt. Murphy will be sitting in this chair."

Amanda looked at Olivia with a stunned expression on her face. "What's going on?"

"Me being in charge here was always temporary. I am going to be Murphy's number two." Olivia didn't seem upset and Amanda believed that she saw a smile on Bensons' face.

"Are you okay with that?" Amanda asked.

"More than okay - as Barba said, _heavy lies the crown."_

Amanda would be the first to admit that she would be happy to have Olivia step down as acting captain in a bid to restore a little bit of the dynamic that had existed under Captain Cragen. But Amanda knew how difficult it was for a woman to rise to a leadership position in the NYPD. She wanted to give Olivia credit where it was due.

"You wore it well," Amanda complimented the senior and more experienced officer with genuine sentiment and then walked out of the office to start her day.

* * *

A/N: Thanks SO much for all of the kind comments about the story. They definitely motivate me to update faster. I am going to take a week off of LOOPS in order to update another fic that I am working on it. I hope that you enjoyed this last chapter. :-)


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